Tandy, formally known as “The Great and Powerful” and one of our very first guests, recently returned from a long stay in South Korea! Between his job from hell, a particularly irresponsible bike trip, and the ROK’s increasingly bizarre political scandals, Tandy had much to share in today’s episode.

The music in this episode is courtesy of www.bensound.com.

Festivals

Chuseok ("Korean Thanksgiving"): "Chuseok, also known as Korean Thanksgiving Day, is one of the most important and festive holidays of the year. This year, Chuseok falls on Thursday, September 19th, but the holiday period actually lasts for three days in total – including the day before and after Chuseok. Traditionally, Koreans return to their ancestral hometowns to celebrate with their families, causing one of the biggest traffic jams of the year as people often take to the road to reach the provinces outside of Seoul..."

Joss Paper (used in Chinese "money-burning" tradition): "The Chinese burn joss paper offerings to send ancestors money and material goods in the afterlife. Consequently, you’re likely to see joss paper being burned at funerals, on ancestor birthdays and during important holidays like the Qingming Festival and the Hungry Ghost Festival.

“The bizarre political scandal that just led to the impeachment of South Korea's president” (Vox article): "South Korea’s Constitutional Court just ruled to uphold the impeachment of the country’s president, Park Geun-hye, meaning she is now officially removed from office. It is the first time a democratically-elected president has ever been removed from office in South Korea... Back in December, South Korean lawmakers... voted overwhelmingly to impeach Park..."

"Everything You Need To Know About South Korea’s Corruption Scandal" (SB Economics, non-major news source): "Earlier this week, it was confirmed by a former MIR Foundation official that the President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, had been acting merely as a puppet for a shadow cabal of eight women. In South Korea, the cabal has been called '8선녀 (Pal Sun Nyo),' which is roughly translated into ‘The Eight Heavenly Fairies.” The head of the shadow cabal is Choi Soon-sil who has been acting as the power-broker in this corruption ordeal..."